Auburn it is.

The 10th-seeded Tigers just finished off a 74-61 win over seventh-seeded Florida in the first round of the Southeastern Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament. That means UK, the No. 2 seed, will face Auburn on Friday at 2:30 p.m. in Dulth, Ga.

On paper it looks like a cakewalk. In reality, it’s one of the two opponents UK did not want to face in the SEC Tournament, the other one being Tennessee. The Tigers, with Keke Carrier leading the way, have a significant advantage inside. If there is one thing the Cats have struggled with this year, it’s been physical teams with size inside.

Auburn possesses both those traits.

Look no further than Sunday’s regular-season finale. The Tigers spoiled the Cats’ last game of the season with a 65-53 loss at Auburn.

UK was outrebounded that 43-27 against Auburn and leading scorer and SEC Player of the Year Victoria Dunlap was held to single digits in the scoring column for just the second time this season. The only other time she was held below 10? Yup, you guessed it — the first meeting vs. Auburn.

That’s troubling news for the Cats, but we’ll see what happens Friday.

Head coach Matthew Mitchell took blame for Sunday’s loss for not imposing their up-tempo game against Auburn. Because of injuries and because of Auburn’s size, Mitchell decided to stick with a half-court trap instead of the Cats’ traditional full-court press.

Expect to see a different defensive look Friday against the Tigers.

“Now we’re at a time when you have to step up and play and you have to play the style that has enabled to be in the position we’re in,” Mitchell said. “I’m not going to be as worried about the things I was worried about on Sunday. Whoever is ready to go, we’re going to play our style and see if that can be good enough to win. At least we’ll be true to our identity.”

Cam will be in Duluth on Friday to live blog all the action Friday. Check back here in the afternoon for coverage.